Dual Degrees

Darden offers several dual degree programs in connection with other schools and departments at the University of Virginia. These joint degree programs are designed to enhance the educational experience beyond what could be achieved if the two degrees were pursued independently.

Admissions

Admission to all dual degree programs requires acceptance to both Darden and the participating program through each school's normal admissions process. Once admitted to both programs, the student must submit an additional application and be accepted for the dual degree program by the respective program committee. Dual degree programs are only offered between schools and departments at the University of Virginia and are only available in combination with Darden's full-time MBA program. If you have Darden admissions-related questions, please contact Catie Yeilding.

Curriculum Requirements

Students in dual degree programs must complete the Darden First Year program and 22.5 hours of electives for a combined 52.5 credits (instead of the normal 60 credits) at the Darden School in addition to the requisite coursework for the participating program. Additional curriculum requirements are noted in the individual program descriptions below. Receipt of the MBA degree is contingent on receipt of the respective non-MBA degree, and financial aid and grading standards are based on the program of enrollment. Students must coordinate with both schools to ensure that all requirements of the dual degree are met. Each dual degree program has a designated faculty advisor at the respective school.

*The information contained on this website is for
informational purposes only. The Undergraduate Record and Graduate Record
represent the official repository for academic program requirements. These
publications may be found at http://records.ureg.virginia.edu/index.php.

MBA/MSDS

Master of Business Administration/Master of Science in Data Science

Darden offers a combined program with the University of Virginia Data Science Institute that grants a Master of Data Science degree and an MBA degree in 24 months, instead of the 32 months that would be required if each degree were pursued independently. This program combines the Data Science Institute’s action-oriented 11-month curriculum with Darden’s “world’s best education experience” (The Economist, 2011-2016). Students who pursue this dual degree will become coveted hires and indispensable leaders in a variety of fields, including consulting, finance, and technology.

Students in the dual degree program will begin their coursework in July of their enrollment year. Over that summer, they will take 9 credits of DSI coursework in person. During the first year, they will be enrolled in the full Darden School of Business First Year curriculum, as well as some continued coursework at the Data Science Institute. In their second year, they will be taking classes at both Darden and the Data Science Institute and will graduate from both programs in May with their MBA cohort.

Dual-degree students may be eligible for a 24-month OPT STEM extension.

Current first year MBA/MSDS Dual Degree students, Karen Li and Steve Mortensen, hosted a webinar with MBA/MSDS Program Director and Professor of Marketing, Raj Venkatesan, to discuss their experience in the program so far, the impact they believe the dual degree will have on their career and to answer audience questions.

Application Process

Students must apply for admission to Darden first and then submit a supplemental application to the DSI. To be eligible for the dual degree, you must receive admission from both programs.

Four prerequisite courses prior to matriculation: single variable calculus, linear algebra or matrix algebra, introductory statistics and introductory programming. Please provide proof of completion and/or listing and description of the courses in which you plan to enroll (institution, course, planned date of completion). See the DSI application details page for more information.

A Statement of Purpose that explains how the MSDS program fits into your short- and long-term educational and career goals (see prompt below).

Indicate that you are applying to a dual degree program and select MBA/MSDS. Once you press Continue, the application will truncate to include only select fields required.

Complete all required fields and submit!

DSI Statement of Purpose Prompt:

The Statement of Purpose should describe your reasons for applying to the proposed program at the University of Virginia, your preparation for this field of study, study and research interests, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. Your commitment to a selected field of study is assumed; we want you to discuss some of the problems and issues that particularly engage your mind.

Tuition and Fees

Students enrolled in the dual degree program will be required to pay the full cost of an MBA and the full cost of an MSDS.

Financial Aid

Student Financial Services and Darden will coordinate financial aid for the program. Financial aid is not guaranteed and is subject to individual school and University availability and regulations. Scholarship funding provided by either Darden or the Data Science Institute will only be applied to the relevant tuition assessed by the party awarding the scholarship.

MBA/JD

Darden offers a combined program with the University of Virginia School of Law that grants a JD degree and an MBA degree in four years, instead of the five that would be required if each degree were pursued independently.

Students are required to secure admission separately to the Darden School and the School of Law through the normal admissions processes of the two schools. The applicant will be held to the same standards as any other applicant, and the fact that s/he is a candidate for the dual-degree program will not be considered in the admissions process. Application may be made prior to entrance, prior to starting the third year of Law, or prior to starting the second year of Darden. No students are admitted to the dual-degree program after this time. Students who have been admitted to both schools and who wish to undertake the dual-degree program should notify the registrar of each school and apply to the faculty advisors for permission to do so. Admission requires approval of both the School of Law and the Darden School faculty advisors.

Tuition and Fees

During the first three years of the program, students will pay one full year of Darden School tuition (when enrolled in the full-time First Year curriculum at the Darden School) and two full years of Law School tuition. During the fourth and final year of the program, students will pay one semester of tuition to the Law School and one semester of tuition to the Darden School.

Financial Aid

Financial aid will be provided by the school to which the student is paying tuition during each semester. Financial aid is not guaranteed and is subject to individual school and University availability and regulations.

MBA/MD

Darden offers a combined program with the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia. The objective of the MBA/MD program is to educate a small number of students who will become national leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship in the health care sector, ranging from the development and diffusion of new products to the management of health care delivery systems.

Medical students in their third year can apply to Darden, and if accepted, must complete all requirements for the MD degree and 52.5 credit hours of course work at Darden, including the entire First Year program. The combined degree will generally require five years including summers to complete.

MBA/MEd in Innovation in Education Reform

Few roles in society provide the reach that educators have into, quite literally, millions of lives. But as the problems in the U.S. and other global education systems mount, they know that more needs to be done to make their reach effective.

The Curry School of Education and the Darden School of Business are partnering for a new MBA/MEd degree designed for the next generation of leaders — those who will transform education in the United States and around the world. Dual-degree graduates will use their knowledge of the value of human capital, the importance of data-driven decisions and the necessity for measuring meaningful outcomes to improve education effectiveness, drive change in education policy, lead innovation in education technology and more.

The typical length of study is two years (including full-time summers, coursework, proseminar/online courses, and internships), beginning at Curry during the summer prior to starting the Darden MBA program.

We anticipate that — among many other possibilities — our graduates will go on to work in large, urban school districts, charter schools, education non-profits and for-profits, in education policy, as educational consultants, educational technology specialists or as education-focused entrepreneurs.

Contacts

Catie YeildingAssistant Director of Admissions (Dual Degrees) Darden School of Business University of Virginia

Ed FreemanElis and Signe Olsson Professor of Business Administration Academic Director, Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics Darden School of Business University of Virginia

Susan MintzAssociate Professor Curry School of Education University of Virginia

MBA/MPP

The Darden School of Business and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia offer the MBA/MPP dual degree. The program takes three years (six semesters) to complete: the First Year program of each school, followed by one year of coursework taken from the curricula of the two schools. The MBA/MPP coursework also may include courses from other graduate offerings at the University.

Contact

MBA/MPH

Darden and the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia offer the MBA/MPH dual degree. Students who combine their MBA and MPH degrees will have the opportunity to work with faculty from the Darden Business School, Department of Public Health Sciences and School of Medicine to focus on the management of health-care-related businesses and models for addressing health. Foci can include health care delivery systems, biotechnology, medical devices, translational research, health policy, and regulation.

Students must complete all requirements for the MPH degree and 52.5 credit hours of course work at Darden, including the entire First Year program. The combined degree will generally require three years, including two summers to complete. The faculty advisor at Darden is Philippe Sommer.

Contact

For more information on the Department of Public Health Sciences, contact:

MBA/MA in East Asian Studies

The MBA/MA in East Asian Studies combines the analysis, decision-making, and managerial concepts and techniques taught at the Darden School with intensive language and area studies in East Asia, primarily Japan and China.

Students may obtain both the MBA degree and the MA degree in East Asian Studies in three academic years and two summers. The summer and fall semester of the third year will be spent in a field internship in an East Asian location, where students will improve their language skills and gain exposure to the Asian country’s business practices.

Contact

MBA/MA in Government or Foreign Affairs

Darden and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia offer the dual degree of a MBA/MA in Government or Foreign Affairs. This dual degree meets the growing need for managers to obtain expertise in comparative government, international relations, political risk assessment and public administration in combination with the business concepts and techniques taught at Darden.

Contact

For more information on the MA in Government or Foreign Affairs, contact:

MBA/ME

The objective of this program is to prepare individuals for leadership positions in technologically intensive organizations. The MBA portion provides an understanding of the fundamental areas of business and develops the capacity to analyze managerial problems and present resourceful solutions, while the ME portion increases the student’s knowledge and understanding in a specific field of engineering or applied science.

The MBA/ME dual degree is obtained in approximately one semester less than the time required for the two degrees separately.

Contact

MBA/MSN

Darden and the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia co-sponsor the MSN/MBA dual degree.

The objective of this dual degree program is to provide a unique educational experience to specially qualified individuals capable of leadership and innovation in health care organizations and delivery systems.

Contact

MBA/PhD

The MBA/PhD dual degree is administered by the director of the Doctoral program. It is a five-year program, and interested students should apply directly to the MBA Office of Admissions. This program allows students to attend the entire First Year of Darden’s MBA program and then go directly into doctoral work. Andy Wicks is the Director of the PhD program. Please visit Darden’s PhD web page for additional information.

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